The Chess Angle

This episode is a primer on the Nimzo & Queen's Indian Defenses for adult improvers and club-level players. These two openings can be used as a complete system against 1. d4. Fighting for control of the e4-square is a major theme. Lines discussed include the following: NIMZO-INDIAN:

• Rubenstein Variation with 4...b6: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Bd3 Bb7 (5. Nge2 Ne4!) 6. Nf3 Ne4!
• Classical Variation with 4...0-0: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 0-0 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Ne4! 7. Qc2 f5
• Leningrad Variation: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bh4 c5 6. d5 d6
• Samisch Variation with 4. a3: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3 5. bxc3 and Black can begin an attack on the weak c4-pawn (...Nc6-a5, ...b6, ...Ba6, etc.)

QUEEN'S INDIAN:

• Main Line: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Nc3 Ne4! 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. Qxc3 (9. Ng5?? Nxe2! 10. Qxe2 Bxg2 11. Qh5 h6 -+) c5 (9...Be4 is also good in the main line)
• Petrosian System with 4. a3: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5! (stopping 6. d5 by White)

Errata: When discussing odds & ends, I mentioned that you can sometimes trick your opponent into playing the French Defense after 1. d4 e6! 2. e4 d5. I said 2. ...e5 by mistake (though I suspect most of you knew what I meant).

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

• Starting Out: The Nimzo-Indian (Amazon)
• Starting Out: The Queen's Indian (Amazon)
• The Fierce Nimzo-Indian by WFM Maaike Keetman (Chessable)

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Candidate Master and renowned chess educator Brian Karen returns to the podcast to discuss the chess cheating crisis as it relates to the amateur player, among other topics. Some of our talking points include:

• How the prevalence of chess cheating is affecting amateur events
• Why the Carlsen/Niemann controversy has become irritating & tiresome
• Are cheat detection algorithms legitimate?
• Chess coaching philosophies
• Why do many players drop out of tournaments after losing just one game?
• Are large cash prizes hurting the Royal Game?
• Is bullet chess harmful or helpful?
• Is solving extremely difficult chess puzzles really beneficial?

♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses!♟

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Neal discusses the dangers of playing chess too literally or "inside the box." Sometimes deviating from conventional chess principles is a smart play. ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses!♟

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Analyzing your tournament games with a computer program such as Fritz or Stockfish is perhaps the most important component of any improvement plan. However, using a chess engine can sometimes be confusing at the amateur level. In this episode, we review some tips on how club players can use an engine effectively to improve. Some of our talking points include:

• Why +/= or =/+ is really the same as =
• Identifying inflection points in your game
• A technique to avoid repeating a mistake in future tournament games
• Avoiding the mindset of "I don't need to review the game - I know where I went wrong"

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💻Be sure to subscribe to our new YouTube channel!💻 We have preview clips for select episodes and are gradually adding content. Please join our community! This season's first solo episode is divided into two main segments with some additional subtopics thrown in. First, Neal argues that "waiting" moves or "passive" moves can sometimes be very effective and possibly the best choice in certain situations. Next, he shares his thoughts on the chess podcasting space. Our links:

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💻Be sure to subscribe to our new YouTube channel!💻 We have preview clips for select episodes and are gradually adding content. Please join our community! ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses!♟ Electronic Notation Devices (ENDs) offer a convenient way for players to keep score during chess tournaments. No more messy scoresheets or missing moves. ENDs, however, have their detractors, with some worried that players can cheat by sideloading a chess engine. We explore this in detail and show that these concerns are overblown. My guest this week is Joey Troy, creator of ChessNoteR, the only END available for purchase at the time of this recording. Joey gives us the full scoop on electronic notation. We also reached out to the Continental Chess Association about their decision to not allow ChessNoteR devices, even though they're USCF certified. Find out how they responded, and hear Joey's reaction... Joey is offering all Chess Angle listeners a 10% discount on ChessNoteR devices (all are USCF certified) through 11/1/22. Use the promo code CHESSANGLE on the ChessNoteR site below. Links Referenced in this Episode:

• ChessNoteR.com - Homepage
• ChessNoteR.com - Store
• ChessNoteR.com - Info for TDs
• USCF Certified ENDs

Disclosure: The Chess Angle was provided with a ChessNoteR unit at no cost. We stand by our recommendations and only endorse products we believe in and have used personally. Our links:

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💻Be sure to subscribe to our new YouTube channel!💻 We have preview clips for select episodes and are gradually adding content. Please join our community! ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses!♟ We've all heard of players who study several hours a day. Nice work if you can get it, but that's not viable for most adult improvers who have responsibilities and commitments outside of chess. My guest this week is Dan Levin, a Long Island Chess Club regular and New York attorney. We discussed what it's like being a tournament player while adulting, among other topics. Some of our talking points include:

• A thematic analysis of two of our games played at the club
• Why do some 800-rated opponents play like they're 1800?
• The Caro-Kann opening: 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5
• Major events vs. local clubs - Which is better?
• How Dan got to play former world champion Boris Spassky
• Rating swings
• Internet & speed chess

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♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable. Chessable uses science-backed learning and the concept of spaced repetition to ensure retention. Check out their courses today!♟ For this Season 3 Premier, Neal spoke with IM Justus Williams. Justus is featured prominently in the 2012 chess documentary Brooklyn Castle, which chronicles the famous chess team from Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn, NY. At age 12, he was the youngest African American to achieve the NM title. Currently, Justus runs Black Squares Chess, which brings the game to kids in underserved communities. Some of the talking points from this episode include:

• Justus's quest for the GM title
• Behind the scenes info from Brooklyn Castle & the IS 318 experience
• A technique to improve tournament results when facing critical positions
• Why Justus prefers chess study using physical books over computers
• How playing in Washington Square Park helped his development
• Is it possible to get a good slice of pizza outside of NY?🍕

Links for IM Justus Williams:

• Brooklyn Castle (YouTube - stream entire film)
• Brooklyn Castle (Amazon - DVD)
• Black Squares Chess/DreamBuilders4Equity
• Black Squares Chess main site
• Justus's appearance on CBS This Morning

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🎤Follow us on Twitter: @TheChessAngle ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable. Chessable uses science-backed learning and the concept of spaced repetition to ensure retention. Check out their courses today!♟ Grandmaster John Emms is a distinguished chess professional. He is one of the UK's top players, as well as a prolific writer, educator, and chess coach. The bulk of our conversation focused on his amazing (and highly recommended) book, The Survival Guide to Competitive Chess (Amazon). Club players and adult improvers of all levels should find our discussion highly beneficial. John reviews several topics from the book and offers practical strategies for tournament play at the amateur level. Some of our talking points include:

• The CEM (check every move) method
• Avoiding high risk/low reward tactics
• Bluffing & The Poker Face
• Converting winning positions
• Draw offers & "draw by reputation"
• Choosing an opening repertoire
• Clock control & time management
• Long think, wrong think
• Internet & blitz chess

John's Twitter page: @GMJohnEmms 📚Visit John's Amazon.com Author Page for a full list of titles📚 Selected works by GM John Emms:

• The Survival Guide to Rook Endings
• The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book
• Starting Out: The Queen's Indian
• Starting Out: The Sicilian
• Easy Guide to the Nimzo-Indian
• Discovering Chess Openings : Building a repertoire from basic principles
• More Simple Chess: Moving on from the Basic Principles

This episode is our Season 2 Finale. Season 3 begins September 2022. The Amazon links above are affiliate links, which earn us a commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you. Our links:

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• Support the Show

E-mail: [email protected]

🎤Follow us on Twitter: @TheChessAngle ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable. Chessable uses science-backed learning and the concept of spaced repetition to ensure retention. Check out their courses today!♟ This episode is a discussion of common endgame ideas, themes, and mistakes at the club level. Mentioned: Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman (Amazon) Recommended Resources: Silman's Complete Endgame Course by Jeremy Silman (Amazon) Pandolfini's Endgame Course by Bruce Pandolfini (Amazon) The Amazon links above are affiliate links, which earn us a commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you. Our links: WebsiteTwitter Facebook E-mail: [email protected]